Darth Maul
Darth Maul was a male Dathomirian Zabrak Dark Lord of the Sith who lived during the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Originally a Dathomiri Nightbrother born on Iridonia and known only as Maul, the infant Maul was given by his Nightsister mother to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who trained him in the ways of the Dark side of the Force as his secret apprentice on a secret Mustafar training facility, along with the help of a split personality droid. Maul became a master of Juyo, Ataru, Jar'Kai, and Teräs Käsi, with training in Niman, and chose to wield a red-bladed saberstaff in combat. Though well trained in the ways of the Sith and a Sith assassin rather than a full apprentice, Maul was technically a violation of the Rule of Two because his own Master was at the time apprenticed to another, the Muun Sith Lord Darth Plagueis. Plagueis however, was fully aware of Maul's existence, and supported Sidious's decision to train him. The primary reason for Plagueis's support, despite the violation of the Rule of Two, was that Maul was trained to be expendable. As an assassin, he could perform high priority, boots-on-the-ground missions for the Sith without running the risk of exposing either Plagueis or Sidious should he fail. In 33 BBY, Sidious gave Maul his first mission: to put the criminal organization Black Sun in disarray. Maul carried out this task perfectly, dealing the group a grievous blow. Maul played an instrumental role in the invasion of the planet Naboo in 32 BBY. The crisis was engineered by Darth Sidious, who lived a double life as Senator Palpatine of Naboo, to have Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum removed from office, allowing Sidious to take his place and set the stages for a government ruled by the Sith. After Padmé Amidala, queen of the Naboo, escaped the blockade, Maul was dispatched to follow her. He found her on Tatooine, where he had a short but intense duel with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, revealing the existence of the Order of the Sith Lords to the Jedi, who had thought the Sith extinct. Later, Maul was sent to Naboo, where he fought Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though he killed the Jedi Master, Maul underestimated Kenobi’s skill and was severed in half at the waist by the Padawan. Sidious would quickly replace Maul with a more powerful apprentice: the late Jinn's former Master, Dooku, who had fallen to the Dark side, and whom Sidious dubbed Darth Tyranus. Through his intense rage, Maul was able to survive and escape to the junk fields of Lotho Minor, where he spent the next twelve years of his life with little to no memory of his former self. Maul kept himself mobile by manifesting a spider-like lower half, feeding off of rodents while his mental equilibrium slowly became undone. Although Darth Sidious and the Jedi Order were unaware of Maul's continued existence, the Nightsister Mother Talzin continued to keep an eye on Maul. In 20 BBY, three years into the Clone Wars, Talzin sent Maul's brother, Savage Opress, the ousted apprentice of Maul's Sith successor, on a quest to find the fractured man who dwelled in the depths of Lotho Minor. Savage successfully brought his brother back to Dathomir to undergo physical and mental reconstitution by Talzin's dark magic. Rehabilitated mentally and physically through prosthetic legs, Maul swore to reestablish his place in galactic history, starting with taking vengeance on Kenobi. Maul and Opress caught the attention of the Jedi Order by slaughtering innocents on the planet Raydonia in a successful attempt to lure Kenobi out. Maul tortured Kenobi, though the arrival of an unexpected ally, the Nightsister Asajj Ventress, gave Kenobi the time he needed to escape. Maul and Opress soon cut a bloody swath across the Outer Rim, catching the attention of the Republic and the Jedi. On one occasion, Maul rallied the Moorjhoni clans against the Rim Mining Company. Maul and his brother then unsuccessfully tried to recruit a group of Weequay pirates from the Ohnaka Gangto their cause, a plan which was thwarted and nearly ended in the Nightbrothers' deaths following the arrival of Kenobi. Maul and his brother were found by the Mandalorian Death Watch leader Pre Vizsla and his lieutenant Bo-Katan. The two conspired to conquer Mandalore and establish a criminal empire, enlisting the aid of the Hutt Cartel, Black Sun and the Pyke Syndicate. When the New Mandalorian state on Mandalore was conquered by the new Shadow Collective, Vizsla imprisoned Maul and Opress, no longer having any use for them. Maul retaliated by dueling and finally decapitated Vizsla, declaring himself ruler of the Death Watch. Maul finished his revenge on Kenobi by killing his former lover, ousted Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze. However, his actions drew the attention of his former master, Darth Sidious, who killed Opress and kidnapped Maul for his own purposes. Appearance and Personality Darth Maul was little more than a being of pure hatred and evil, thanks to his harsh, severe training under Darth Sidious. However, he was not completely heartless, granting those he felt worthy of his respect quick and painless deaths. He was even capable of some level of emotional connection with others, feeling respect, admiration, perhaps even a level of attachment towards his master, despite his torturous years under Sidious, likely because he knew nothing else. Although he often ordered Savage Opress around and defined their relationship in the Sith tradition of master and apprentice, Maul genuinely cared for his brother as shown when he cried out his name when Obi-Wan Kenobi sliced off his arm and the obvious grief he displayed when he was killed by Sidious. After Oppress' death, the enraged Maul tried his best to kill Sidious in order to avenge him. As Darth Sidious observed, Darth Maul was obsessed with achieving absolute victory in anything and at any cost. Sidious regarded Maul as a terrifying being capable of withstanding pain in order to succeed against all odds. He was brave, yet prideful as well. Though still an apprentice, Maul was convinced that he could defeat the entire Jedi Order—including the Jedi High Council—in their own Temple. Maul's hatred of the Jedi notwithstanding, his master cautioned him to guard against his pride. According to Sidious, Maul was a formidable warrior, but not a "one-being army." Maul was heavily prone to acts of gloating, despite his master's disapproval. His overconfidence was such that he revealed his true identity, his master, and the survival of the Sith to his target Alexi Garyn before killing him. Despite his loyalty and obedience, Maul could not help but wonder about the extent of his role in the Sith Grand Plan. Having no knowledge of Darth Plagueis, Maul never knew that his master answered to another master, and thus believed himself to be the second half of the Rule of Two. As apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith, Maul viewed himself as the eventual successor of Darth Sidious. However, he was also aware of his own inability to carry the Sith legacy forward, mostly because he had been trained only as a Sith assassin. Unlike Sidious, who hid behind the facade of Senator Palpatine, Maul did not have the advantage of a secret identity. Despite this, he realized how his own physical appearance made it virtually impossible for him to be seen in public without drawing unwanted attention. In spite of all his efforts to understand the galaxy around him—mainly by learning about politics and criminal businesses—Maul held little knowledge of how the real world worked. He understood that the Jedi Order, rather than the Galactic Republic, was the true enemy of the Sith. Beyond that, he had no idea as to how his Order would exact vengeance against the Jedi. While he relished combat, Maul longed to evolve as a Sith Lord. Upon moving to Coruscant, he initially hoped that his role would advance beyond that of an assassin. Yet his training remained the same in many ways. As a result, Maul feared for the future of the Order of the Sith Lords. In the event that some unexpected misfortune befell his master, Maul did not know how to execute the Grand Plan in Sidious' place, or if there even existed a contingency plan at all. It was only shortly before his defeat by Kenobi that he guessed that his Master answered to another Master. Like his Master, Maul had a distaste for incompetent underlings and certain aliens with characteristic handicaps. As he fought the Togorian pirates above Tatooine, he believed them to be completely stupid, sloppy, and lazy, due to their greed. However, he noted that the captain was smarter than his crew and that Hela-Tan was the strongest and biggest of the pirates. At times, he wondered why Sidious would work with sniveling cowards like Viceroy Nute Gunray and the other Neimoidians. Sidious understood his concern, yet reminded him that the Neimoidians were essential to the Sith Grand Plan. Maul enjoyed scaring the Neimoidians with his very presence; that way, he could keep them in line when he arrived to take command on Naboo. However, Maul appeared to respect other species, such as the Hutts. He was impressed by Boonda's plan to get revenge on both the Trade Federation and Corulag Academy. After foiling that very scheme, Maul asked himself: Are Hutts really afraid of anything? His question was answered thirteen years later, when Oruba quivered before Savage Opress' blade. In battle, Maul was a ruthless and implacable enemy, possessed of an arrogant urge for self-improvement, to be the best. Ultimately, Maul failed to heed his master's warnings against the distraction of overconfidence. However, his arrogance was justified when he sensed he could destroy Qui-Gon Jinn after seeing the elderly Jedi using Ataru, a fighting form that would tire him completely. But he underestimated Obi-Wan Kenobi, which led to his downfall when he opened himself up to an attack from the young Padawan, an opponent he tried to have eliminated. It may have been the recent revelation of Sidious' secret Master that clouded his judgment. After his near-death experience on Naboo, Maul struggled to remain alive through his all-consuming hatred for the Jedi who defeated him, and therefore lost his sanity in the process. By the time Savage Opress found him on Lotho Minor, Maul had been trapped in a state of madness for roughly a decade. After being repaired by Mother Talzin in both mind and body, a bitter and enraged Maul targeted Kenobi for revenge. A scheming mastermind and uncompromising killer, much like his former master, much of Maul's personality — as shaped by his Sith training — remained intact. He spared no feelings of hesitation or remorse for killing civilians, believing that the murder of innocent lives was the quickest method for gaining the Jedi's notice; nor was he a silent opponent who focused primarily on achieving victory through martial prowess any longer. During his duel with Kenobi, Maul utilized Dun Möch by taunting the Jedi Master for his inability to prevent his mentor Qui-Gon Jinn's death. Years of living in agony and exile also caused Maul to develop a new-found sense of patience, something that he never truly learned under Sidious's tutelage. In addition, after he regained his strength, Maul discarded his loyalty to Sidious, and declared an intention to exact revenge on both him and Count Dooku, the latter of whom he disdainfully referred to as a "Sith pretender." The sole reasons had been that Sidious had left him to die on Naboo, as pointed out by Bruu Jun-Fan. Despite this, Maul displayed shock and fear upon sensing his former master on Mandalore. He was also not above begging for mercy in front of Sidious as shown when he pleaded with him, although Maul had spent his entire childhood being abused and tortured by Sidious, so he knew how sadistic his former Master was; this may have been the reason why he preferred to kill worthy opponents quickly — although it should be noted that Qui-Gon Jinn, one of the most powerful opponents Maul had ever faced, died slowly and painfully, possibly because Maul was so eager to engage Obi-Wan Kenobi and thus dismissed Jinn as he was given a mortal wound. Powers and Abilities Lightsaber Training Darth Maul was a highly skilled lightsaber duelist, trained by Darth Sidious in Juyo, which drew heavily on volatile emotions and the dark side. However, Maul only devoted himself to Form VII's physical focus, desiring pure physical victory, rather than the "higher" Sith tradition of Dun Möch; dominating the opponent's spirit and exposing his inner doubts through taunts and psychological warfare. However, after being reborn on Dathomir, he had employed Dun Möch during his rematch with Obi-Wan Kenobi above Raydonia. In addition to this, Maul had training in Niman lightsaber combat and the Jar'Kai dual-saber technique, as well as mastery of the fighting style of Teräs Käsi. Because Niman was based on chaining Force powers into lightsaber sequences, Maul could adapt to his surroundings, simultaneously hurling objects at his opponents as well as charging them. He had also shown some skill in Ataru, as shown when dispatching a Trandoshan under Jabba's employ in his escape from Cog Hive Seven. Like his arch-nemesis Obi-Wan Kenobi, he incorporated a spinning attack move in his lightsaber fighting style. His speed was such that even Darth Plagueis himself was astounded by it. When fighting multiple opponents, Maul extended the second blade of his lightsaber to form a saberstaff, doubling his lethality as Jedi rarely faced such a weapon, or a skilled practitioner in its use. Maul often used this to catch opponents by surprise. Maul had constructed the weapon himself, using ancient plans stored within one of the holocrons that the Sith still possessed. He had based his lightsaber design upon that of Darth Zannah's weapon, which in turn had been a development on Exar Kun's original design. It is likely that this choice also came from his species' penchant for the zhaboka, a similar weapon. Unlike the traditional dueling techniques of most Jedi, Maul combined his swordsmanship with martial arts and hand-to-hand combat skills—a combination which made him a nearly unstoppable dervish of destruction. And whenever he encountered a foe he could not best through his martial prowess, he would fall back on his tactical know-how, outmaneuvering such enemies. Maul showed some skill at applying mounted lightsaber combat, though such circumstances were rare during his time. All of the known examples involved him riding a speeder against one or more opponents: two Black Sun sentries, a lone Bartokk assassin, Anoon Bondara, and portions of Boss Ganne's Gungan army. Darth Maul was one of the very few living lightsaber duelists who was powerful enough to duel Darth Sidious alone for more than a few seconds. During their ferocious duel on Mandalore, Maul used both his lightsaber and the darksaber he had taken from the slain Pre Vizsla. Ultimately however, he was no match for Sidious, and was disarmed after a failed bladelock. Force Abilities Maul displayed a reasonable amount of competence in telekinesis, utilizing Force grip and Force choke while interrogating Hath Monchar, and being able to activate a set of door controls behind him with a flung piece of a wrecked droideka, which aided him in his duel against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Whenever he felt it necessary, he could telekinetically pull weapons away from multiple opponents before finishing them off with his lightsaber. He had even developed the use of saber throw, assailing his weapon at a target with deadly accuracy. Sometimes, he would lift heavy objects, such as boulders. Occasionally, he could add Force-based attacks in his lightsaber sequences; he wouldn't hesitate to dislodge foes such as Kenobi with a Force Push, if given the chance. Maul was proficient at Force speed, allowing him to move "five times faster than a hundred could travel at a dead run." It could help him push his way through an overwhelming crowd. Despite Darth Plagueis' assumptions to the contrary, Maul could hide his Force signature, even while in close proximity to the Jedi Temple. He was able to use the mind trick, especially when working undercover. Maul also demonstrated a resistance to Force lightning, shrugging off a barrage unleashed by the Nightsister Mighella while hunting for Alexi Garyn. This ability was only effective to a point, however, as Darth Sidious was perfectly capable of torturing Maul with Force lightning. Maul was skilled in combining Force talents with mechanics. Sidious gave him the funds and schematics he needed, and provided his apprentice with a secret facility on Coruscant in which to work. There, Maul constructed his signature speeder bike Bloodfin and the Dark Eye seeker droids. Using the Force mechanical skill mechu-deru, the Zabrak modified the protocol droid C-3PX into an assassin droid to guard his ship. When crippling the Black Sun syndicate, Maul came across the bodyguard of Vigo Narees who in turn attempted to read his mind in order to find who sent him and who he was hunting. Maul let him, but the Iktotchi was soon incapacitated because of the darkness of the Zabark's mind. Maul then neutralized the guard. After his return and cybernetic reconstruction, Maul's abilities were still as sharp as ever. He used Force scream twice during his duel with Asajj Ventress and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was also able to Force choke a Falleen without even facing him, and then brutally twist his head 180 degrees. Later on, he compelled a guard into committing suicide by having him blow up a bomb, killing himself and a large group of his fellow soldiers stationed at the mines on Moorjhone. After that, stunned Trisjon's heart, slowly killing him. As to how Maul survived, Jedi Master Salmara believed that it was Maul's hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi that kept him alive, making him a far more powerful and dangerous adversary than he was before. Maul's use of telekinesis may have been improved in some magnitude. On Moorjhone, he used the Force pulled a section of the wall on his pursuers; though Salmara was able to protect Jaboag's soldiers from being crushed. During the skirmish on Florrum, he pulled a several tonEta-class shuttle off of a hill, where it slid to a stop in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hondo Ohnaka's pirates. However, these remarkable acts might have been the result of desperation, as he and his brother were wounded and on the verge of capture. Despite his strong Force abilities, however, physical combat was where Maul was in his element. Oddly for a Niman practitioner, Maul was known to dislike integrating Force-based attacks into his lightsaber combat technique, as he preferred to overcome his opponents through pure martial prowess. After his cybernetic reconstruction, however, he became far more willing to use the Force in combat, though he typically only did so as a fallback option. Other Abilities Due to his Zabrak heritage and his intense training at the hands of Darth Sidious, Maul was able to withstand immense amounts of physical pain. While usually preferring to wield a lightsaber, Maul had sufficient skill with a blaster. At age fifteen, he managed to hit his fellow students, Fretch and Hubnutz, in both their right arms with a stun blaster during a training exercise. When Maul grew older, he shot a Nikto in the forehead and squarely hit a Phuii in the neck in his raid against Black Sun. Maul had also mastered the use of the lanvarok. Sidious also gave Maul the powerful Sith Infiltrator Scimitar which contained a cloaking shield generator. This vehicle was developed by Raith Sienar, the man whose company would later develop the TIE/LN starfighter for the Empire, and Darth Tenebrous, who had trained Darth Plagueis. RPG D6 Stats Type: Dark Lord of the Sith DEXTERITY 4D Dodge 8D+2, Lightsaber 6D+2, Lightsaber: Form IV: Ataru 7D+1, Lightsaber: Form VI: Niman 8D, Lightsaber: Form VII: Juyo 8D, Lightsaber: Form: Jar’Kai 8D+2, Lightsaber: Form: Double-Bladed Lightsaber 10D+1, Lightsaber: Form: Dun Möch 9D, Melee Combat 5D+2, Missile Weapons 5D+1 KNOWLEDGE 3D Intimidation 6D, Languages 3D+2, (s)Scholar: Jedi Lore 4D+1, (s)Scholar: Sith Lore 5D, Survival 4D+1 MECHANICAL 2D Astrogation 4D+1, Repulsorlift Operations 6D+2, Sensors 3D+2, Space Transports 4D+2 PERCEPTION 2D+1 Investigation 5D+1, Search 4D+2, Sneak 3D STRENGTH 4D Brawling 6D, (s)Brawling: Teräs Käsi Martial Arts 11D+1, Climbing/Jumping 4D+2 TECHNICAL 3D Computer Programming/Repair 4D+2, Droid Programming 4D, Droid Repair 4D+2, Lightsaber Repair 5D+1, Repulsorlift Repair 5D, Space Transports Repair 3D+2 Special Abilities: Teräs Käsi Martial Arts: Before making the attack, the player splits the Teräs Käsi martial arts skill dice into two groups: attack dice and damage bonus dice. The character rolls to attack using only the attack dice. If the character succeeds in the attack, add the damage bonus dice to the character's Strength roll when determining damage. Characters may not allocate more than half of their Teräs Käsi martial arts dice to their damage bonus dice. Maneuvers: Backflip, Back Strike, Blindfighting, Crescent Kick, Elbow Smash, Escape Grapple, Flawless Counter, Flip, Flying Kick, Foot Sweep, Instant Knockdown, Insatnt Stand, Instant Wound, Martial Arts Leap, Power Block, Rar Kick, Reversal, Snap Kick, Spinning Kick, Whirlwind Attack. Lightsaber Combat Form IV: Ataru: May perform one acrobatic maneuver or one movement enhancing Force power and attack once without the penalty for an additional maneuver. However if restricted in movement (due to space, wounds, etc.) any actions done with Ataru receive a -1D penalty. Hawk-Bat Swoop, Saber Swarm, Spinning Attack, Tumble Strike. Lightsaber Combat Form VI: Niman(intimidation): +2 to defense rolls, while attack rolls suffer a -2 penalty. +1 bonus to attack and defense for each die in intimidation (maximum of four per roll). Maneuvers: Double attack, draw closer, heavy parry, pushing slash, vicious stare. Lightsaber Combat Form VII: Juyo: -2D to attacker's parry or dodge. +4D initiative. +1 bonus to attacks for each Dark Side Point. -2 defensive rolls for each Dark Side Point. Assured strike, back thrust, circling thrust, swing strike, vornskr's ferocity. Lightsaber Combat: Jar-Kai: Make two attack rolls simultaneously or separately with no multi-action penalty. +1D to defense rolls. Double Sweep, Rising Whirlwind, Twin Strike. Lightsaber Combat: Double-Bladed Lightsaber: +1D to any attack and damage rolls, +1D to any defense rolls. If within confined spaces -2D penalty for any roll. Feint, full circle spin, spin defense. Lightsaber Combat Form: Dun Möch: Dun Möch users receive a bonus equaling one point per con, persuasion or intimidation die (that has to be chosen at start of round). This bonus may be distributed to attack or parry rolls during a combat round. Heavy Parry, Random Strike, Vicious Taunt Force Skills: Control 7D+1, Sense 8D+1, Alter 7D+1 Force Powers (These are the known powers of Darth Maul but it is believed that he had access to other powers.): Control: Absorb/Dissipate Energy, Accelerate Healing, Concentration, Contort/Escape, Control Pain, Emptiness, Enhance Attribute, Enhance Reflexes, Hibernation Trance, Rage, Resist Stun Sense: Combat Sense, Danger Sense, Life Detection, Life Sense, Magnify Senses, Sense Force Alter: Telekinesis Control & Sense: Lightsaber Combat Control & Alter: Aura Of Uneasiness, Inflict Pain Control, Sense & Alter: Affect Mind, Projected Fighting, Telekinetic Kill Sense & Alter: Lesser Force Shield Hardiness: Zabrak characters gain a +1D bonus to Willpower and Stamina skill checks. This Character is Force-sensitive. Force Points: 6 Dark Side Points: 13 Character Points: 15 Move: 10 Equipment: Double-Bladed Lightsaber (5D each blade), “Dark Eye” Probe Droids, Comlink, Macrobinoculars, Sith Speeder, Sith Infiltrator (Scimitar) Category:Characters Category:Non-Player Characters Category:Force-sensitive